Counties with the highest unemployment in Texas

Written by:
August 30, 2024
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Counties with the highest unemployment in Texas

Unemployment rates are rising across U.S. metropolitan areas, provoking alarm across the nation and likely leading to interest rate cuts in September.

As of July, unemployment rates increased in 350 out of 389 U.S. metros areas—including 47 of the 51 largest metros, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Texas, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in July 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

The national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 4.3%. Still, it's up substantially from 3.5% during the same month last year and has climbed to the highest rate since November 2021. By comparison, unemployment rates surged to 10% in October 2009 during the Great Recession, and a full recovery took years. At the height of the brief COVID-19 recession in April 2020, unemployment hit 14.7%.

The Federal Reserve has shifted its focus from curbing inflation to unemployment, indicating plans to cut interest rates in the coming weeks and months to alleviate economic strain and avoid further job losses.

Since last year, unemployment has spiked in over half of states—a signal often indicating a looming recession, as Piper Sandler Chief Global Economist Nancy Lazar told Business Insider. These jobless rates, paired with layoffs among major U.S. employers like Google and Tesla, have sparked concern among Americans. Minus a major economic blow, economists continue to forecast that the U.S. is tracking toward an incremental slowdown in growth known as a "soft landing."

To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Texas.

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#50. Brazoria County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 195,951 people (9,799 unemployed)

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#49. Marion County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,527 people (231 unemployed)

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#48. Hutchinson County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,722 people (441 unemployed)

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#47. Cherokee County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,104 people (1,076 unemployed)

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#46. Camp County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,269 people (272 unemployed)

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#45. Panola County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,786 people (505 unemployed)

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#44. Aransas County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,749 people (509 unemployed)

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#43. Hardin County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 25,995 people (1,356 unemployed)

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#42. San Augustine County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,428 people (180 unemployed)

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#41. Duval County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,103 people (269 unemployed)

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#40. Walker County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,696 people (1,303 unemployed)

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#39. Hall County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,106 people (60 unemployed)

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#38. Freestone County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 6,981 people (378 unemployed)

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#37. Bee County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,496 people (514 unemployed)

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#36. Cass County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,222 people (654 unemployed)

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#35. San Jacinto County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,070 people (706 unemployed)

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#34. Val Verde County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,683 people (1,164 unemployed)

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#33. San Patricio County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 30,475 people (1,651 unemployed)

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#32. Jim Hogg County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,960 people (107 unemployed)

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#31. Trinity County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,466 people (299 unemployed)

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#30. Waller County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,188 people (1,483 unemployed)

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#29. Bailey County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,342 people (131 unemployed)

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#28. Harrison County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 28,504 people (1,586 unemployed)

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#27. Madison County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,880 people (279 unemployed)

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#26. Eastland County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,316 people (360 unemployed)

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#25. Hale County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 11,453 people (658 unemployed)

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#24. Jim Wells County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,353 people (931 unemployed)

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#23. Chambers County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,342 people (1,295 unemployed)

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#22. Orange County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 36,426 people (2,117 unemployed)

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#21. Dickens County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 626 people (37 unemployed)

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#20. Cameron County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 185,756 people (10,909 unemployed)

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#19. Sutton County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,063 people (64 unemployed)

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#18. Tyler County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,174 people (428 unemployed)

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#17. Polk County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,724 people (1,183 unemployed)

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#16. Presidio County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,092 people (195 unemployed)

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#15. Matagorda County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,665 people (1,080 unemployed)

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#14. Kenedy County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 138 people (9 unemployed)

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#13. Liberty County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 37,491 people (2,383 unemployed)

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#12. Brooks County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 2,295 people (149 unemployed)

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#11. Morris County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,678 people (307 unemployed)

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#10. Zapata County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,632 people (313 unemployed)

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#9. Hidalgo County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 386,788 people (25,738 unemployed)

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#8. Jasper County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,632 people (888 unemployed)

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#7. Sabine County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,514 people (250 unemployed)

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#6. Newton County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,116 people (379 unemployed)

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#5. Jefferson County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 106,529 people (7,569 unemployed)

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#4. Willacy County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,092 people (548 unemployed)

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#3. Maverick County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,289 people (1,874 unemployed)

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#2. Zavala County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,589 people (348 unemployed)

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#1. Starr County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 10.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,330 people (2,463 unemployed)

This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

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